


Riptide

by Erin_Aras



Category: ATEEZ (Band), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: F/M, in which i am a kpop fan and a mcu geek at the same time, in which i try to write as good as i did for the descendants au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 11:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15509100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erin_Aras/pseuds/Erin_Aras
Summary: It all started with the storm.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Seeing as my first work was on a Descendants AU that wasn't even entirely all mine, this is a big change. Since then, I've gotten extremely into k-pop and the like, so this will be a k-pop AU with the group Stray Kids (and maybe a few appearances from my other faves as well ;)) Enjoy!

         The storm was raging so thunderously that she almost had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating when she saw the man on the beach. “I swear to God,” she muttered, pulling her hood to fit more snugly over her head before crossing the street. If not for that idiot who was just  _ standing there _ on the sand in the middle of the pouring rain, she could be back at home, safe and sound, preferably snuggled under her covers with a good book. 

         Unfortunately, fate wasn’t on her side tonight. “Hey! Are you okay, sir?” With the constant thunder resounding around them, she knew he couldn’t hear her, and when she drew nearer to him, she gasped. He was desperately trying to shake another, younger looking boy awake, but to no avail, the latter wasn’t opening his eyes.

          “Yang Jeongin, don’t give up on me, you hear? I’ll keep you safe, I promise,” she heard the older man say, and for whatever reason, she felt the need to stop in her tracks from a few feet behind their pair’s one-sided exchange. In one smooth motion, the older boy picked up the younger, Jeongin, in his arms and spun around, coming face to face with her.

         She nearly gasped again.

         His skin was quite pale, with a hint of tan from the Hawaiian sun. His dark brown eyes were nearly covered by his rain-slick black curls that fell against his forehead, and she could see the muscles in his arms as he carried his friend.

         He was  _ smoking hot _ , despite the both of them being soaking wet. 

         “Uh, I, uh… looks like you need some help,” she stuttered, and the boy scoffed.

         “No shit, Sherlock.” The boy set Jeongin down, keeping one of his arms around his shoulders. She was moving to loop his other limp arm around her shoulders to support him on the other side, but that was when everything got silent. The rain stopped splattering the ground. The waves stopped slamming against the shore. Even the thunder halted. Very slowly, as if they were scared of what they would see, she and the older boy turned around, only to see a massive wave shredding through the ocean towards them.

         “Run,” she whispered, but even as the boy once again picked up Jeongin and sprinted away, her feet remained planted in the sand because for whatever  _ stupid reason,  _ she felt like she could calm the storm, just as how it had been a few moments before. Her arms felt numb, like the wooden limbs of a puppet on a string as she lifted them, palms forward, to face the oncoming tsunami. She heard the screams of the boy, but it sounded like he was standing at the opposite end of a long, long tunnel. “Run,” she repeated, a little louder this time, in case he hadn’t heard her clearly. “Run!”

         Then, the wave crashed over her and she shut her eyes, waiting for water to fill her lungs, her body to be dashed against the shoreline mercilessly. But the pain never came. Instead, she felt a warmth at the tips of her outstretched fingers and she opened her eyes to see a glow emanating from her hands, which spread throughout the colossal wave and, slowly but surely, pushed it back out into the open ocean, watching it break.

         Just like her.


	2. II

The ropes chafing against her wrists were what woke her. Her chest heaved as she took in deep breath after deep breath, wondering how in the hell she had been lucky enough to survive the wave.

  
Everything came back to her then: the way she had pushed the tsunami back out into the ocean, possibly saving the lives of hundreds, thousands, even. And the two boys. Had they escaped? Or were they being held captive, too? She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she had gotten two innocents involved in whatever fucked up situation she had plunged headfirst into.

  
The door to the room she was in opened, and that was when she finally began to observe her surroundings. She was tied to a chair in a modern-looking bedroom, one that looked fancy enough to be in a house in the well-off areas of Kahala or Waikiki. Her gaze swiveled to the window to the left of her, but the curtains were drawn over it.

  
She also noticed that while her clothes were still damp, a fluffy towel had been placed carefully around her shoulders, keeping her warm and slightly cozy. “Ah,” the person that had walked in began, and she returned her attention to them only to realize that it was the boy who had been unconscious earlier, Jeongin. He bowed his head ever so slightly, murmured a soft ‘thank you’, and dashed out of the room. A few moments later, the other, older boy walked in, and she could have sworn that his gaze could have pierced a hole straight through her before he even spoke a word.

  
“How are you feeling?” He asked, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of her, gaze still hard despite his caring words.  
“Tired,” she admitted. “Ironically, thirsty.” The boy raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing with the corners of his lips and she scowled, already beginning to regret saving his life. “I meant the water kind, idiot.”

  
“I know, I know.” He stood, walked over to the desk, and grabbed a glass of water that she hadn’t even realized was there. She raised an eyebrow up at him and glanced down at her restraints. “Oh, shit. My bad.” An irritated sigh threatened to escape her lips as he untied her and handed her the glass, and she gulped down half of it before stopping to save the other half. “Sorry love, I’m gonna ask you to drink the whole thing.”

  
She was about to ask why before she realized that he was probably worried about her attacking him and downed the rest of the water. The boy took the glass from her and placed it back on the desk before sitting down once more. “My name’s Bang Chan, but you can call me Chan.”

  
“It’s… interesting to meet you, Chan,” she greeted, not wanting to sugar coat their current situation.

  
“Same to you.”

  
“Why didn’t you bring me in? The police here are exceptionally nice.” Chan chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, flinching ever so slightly as he did.  
“I’m the leader of one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s task forces, Stray Kids, and we want you on the team.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I’m so proud of Stray Kids for their comeback and I’m so hyped to see their MV !!


	3. III

          Andrea was thirteen when she committed her first crime. In her opinion,  it wasn’t even that  _bad_. All she had done was break a window to a mansion that had already been broken into.

          It was around 5:30 PM, and also according to one of the neighbors of the millionaire who owned the mansion, Mrs. Lum, who Andrea had eavesdropped on earlier, said that the old man wouldn’t be back until 7:00 PM. The millionaire, Mr. Boyce Downer, had told her this so she could “keep an eye on his house while he was gone”. So when Andrea passed by the usually pristine mansion at 6:00 PM, she noticed something was wrong; the door was wide open. 

          Being the good Samaritan that she was, she decided to check up on the house, wondering where in the world Mrs. Lum was. Just as she was about to creep the final few feet up to the door, Andrea heard a resounding crash and then an rough expletive following it. Someone was robbing Mr. Downer’s mansion, but the alarm hadn’t even been triggered. Weird. So, Andrea did what she did best: break something. She crept to the other side of the door, picked up a rather large rock from the miniature rock display in the garden, and flung it at the window. 

          The alarm finally decided to make a raucous entrance, and it began to ring noisily. Before she could be spotted by the robber, however, she was off at a quick jog, heart pounding in her chest. 

          That night, while eating dinner with her friends at the orphanage like she always did, a news story flashed onto the television screen that their eyes were glued to:  _A Near Robbery Causes a Blackout?_ Two blocks around the proximity of the mansion had lost power, and for whatever reason, Andrea knew it had to do with how the robber had avoided triggering the alarm. 

          That had been her first encounter with an enhanced.

* * *

           From then on, Andrea’s crimes had escalated: they went from making her a Robin Hood, a renowned figure in the community, to an infamous thief. As time progressed, wanted pictures evolved into wanted posts on social media, and soon Andrea had no choice but to lay low. And now, here she was, with powers she never wanted and an organization she never wanted to work with.

          “Don’t you know who I am?” She spat, eyes ablaze as she glared at the man who had introduced himself as Chan. He merely smiled at her, as if her rage amused him.

          “Of course. You’re Andrea Yamauchi a.k.a Phantom, the Robin Hood-turned-everyday-thief of Hawaii. Is that correct?” A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

          “No shit, Sherlock.” Her smirk grew wider, more triumphant when she noticed the displeasure on Chan’s face when he realized that she had quoted him. “Now, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that you probably don’t know why I don’t wanna work with you lot,” she replied, tilting her head up at him ever so slightly. Andrea knew government officials hated when she did that, but Chan stood his ground, his small smile dipping into a frown. “I’ll take  that a no. Got time to hear me out, Chan?” 

          From the way his perfectly shaped lips parted, she knew he was about to speak, but that was when the lights flickered and they were plunged into darkness. 


	4. IV

          The first time Chan had encountered another enhanced on the field was when he was eighteen years old, fresh out of training, on one of his very first missions, his ninth, to be exact: Sokovia.

          Anyone who had been a part of S.H.I.E.L.D's refurbished team at the time would have told you that it felt great to be back, that it had been too long since anything "exciting" had happened, but he had been dreading this since he had made his first kill in the Battle of Manhattan three years prior.

          He had been even younger then, the tender age of fifteen, and his hands, still soft and innocent, had seized control of the winds as he, Tony Stark, and Captain America fought off the invaders flooding onto the helicarrier. With a clench of his fists, he had manifested his nascent abilities into a flurry of wind, which tossed a masked soldier off of his feet, left him to plummet to his death. He almost didn't come out of his room for the next two days, but Director Fury had threatened to fire him if he didn't. According to his boss, "a man had to do what a man had to do."

          Chan had thought killing would get easier, especially if it was for S.H.I.E.L.D. He was wrong. During Sokovia, he had been dispatched solo. There had been reports of other enhanced besides the Maximoffs entering the field, and it was his job to take them down. He was beyond grateful that for the first twenty-five minutes, he hadn't seen any enhanced, but as soon as it hit minute twenty-seven, a particularly large chunk of debris and floated into the air before zooming towards him. He had stomped his foot forward, forcing his energy into the ground, and sent a pillar of pavement shooting up, splitting the debris apart in a shower of dirt and grime.

          He barely had time to dodge as the enhanced, whose face he couldn't even see with the mask they were wearing, leaped towards him, dagger outstretched and ready to kill.

* * *

          "Hey. Hey, Chan." He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts, letting the issue at hand come back to him. The girl, Andrea Yamauchi, had come to stand right in front of him. "Snap out of it."

           "Y-yeah. Okay. The boys should know what to-" Just as quickly as they had gone out, the lights flickered back on, and he breathed an inward sigh of relief. If their enemy had the advantage of surprise on their side, SKZ at least needed the advantage of sight if they hoped to stay alive. Then, the door swung open, and Chan braced himself for a fight, beyond relieved when he saw that it was just Hyunjin, their charmer.

          "Andrea, I think you might be acquainted with the guy that almost drained all of our power," he murmured, eyes twin pools of swirling twilight. Those were Hyunjin's weapons: his eyes. Once you looked into them, you were screwed. Five seconds after you looked into them, you were screwed. And if by some chance you were extra gullible, ten seconds after you looked into them, you were screwed. Chan had the good sense to know they were in good hands with a powerhouse like Hwang Hyunjin. 

           "Ah, him," Andrea muttered, running a hand through her hair. "You guys search me for weapons?" She asked, reaching behind her and delving into the back pocket of her shorts. Chan also had had the good sense to let her stay armed. With a liability like her with them, the danger was bound to follow. 

          That wasn't quite what everyone said about Andrea, though: _She follows danger; never lets herself become its prey._ That's why she was the Phantom, and that's why he needed her on his team.

          "Of course you didn't. Sloppy." Chan was about to warn her against using those words in front of two of S.H.I.E.L.D's most well-regarded recruits, but then a cheeky grin spread across her face. "Kidding. I drag trouble around with me like a little kid with their toy, huh?" 

           "Yeah, you kinda do," Hyunjin replied, noting the way that Chan had been stunned into silence. But he couldn't help it, really. Andrea was too good to be true. She was-

          Before Chan could finish his thought, the glass from the window shattered and a flash grenade dropped into the room with a sharp  _thud_ on the wood floor. 

* * *

          "Perfect," Andrea muttered before diving for cover behind one of the gray sofas. The second that the grenade went off, the door that her back was, unfortunately, facing towards slammed open and a boy with bright orange hair and freckles adorning his cheeks literally sped into the room: he was a blur for a moment before he came back into focus. 

          "Andrea, Felix, Hyunjin," Chan introduced nearly as quickly as the new boy, Felix, had run, "Felix, Hyunjin, Andrea."

          "We don't have time for introductions, mate, and that's coming from  _me_ ," Felix retorted, "but it's nice to meet you, Andrea." Before she had time to react, he tossed her a metal water bottle that looked to be bigger than her face, and she caught it, nearly dropping it due to its weight. "You're gonna need that."         

          Within the next few moments, six more boys flooded into the room, and Andrea's heart sunk. This was the real deal. If she helped them, a tugging instinct in her gut knew that there would be no going back. But really, after she had pushed back the tsunami, where could she go? Like she had said, she dragged trouble around wherever she went, and now, with the powers she possessed, they would only get worse. "Our location's been compromised, people," Chan's commandeering tone snapped her out of her paranoia like how hers had done to him, "But we do have one more person on our team. Stray Kids, meet Andrea Yamauchi, the Phantom." Twelve pairs of eyes snapped towards her simultaneously, and for the first time in a  _very_ long time, she felt uncomfortable under their stares. "Introductions later. We gotta go." No one objected, and Andrea let her shoulders sag slightly when they looked away.

          "How are we getting outta here?" She asked, looking around the lavish room that would probably soon be of no use to anyone.

          Chan smirked, and heat pooled in her cheeks. 

          Someone snickered.

          "I would say to get a room, but..." Someone else said.

          After shooting equally fierce glares at the two boys, Chan turned back to her, emotions swirling through his eyes.

           "We fly."

 


	5. V

         Feel free to listen to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohEDO5kdx8) song as you read!

* * *

 

         The first two members that Chan had recruited into Stray Kids were Jisung and Changbin, who were better known as J.One and Spear.B, back when they were still S.H.I.E.L.D trainees. Old memories like the smell of old books coursed through his mind as each member of Stray Kids quickly began to strap on their "backpacks".

          "So these things sprout wings?" Andrea asked, and to Chan, it was like she had opened one of his old metaphorical books of memories. He, Jisung, and Changbin were some of S.H.I.E.L.D's elite, but not in a way you would expect: because they were so young, they didn't look too capable of much, except for maybe pickpocketing a few wallets off of unfortunate passerby in the street. But those three boys, under the name of 3Racha, had created winged jet packs by harnessing a portion of Chan's elemental ability and stuffing it into machines, a feat that nearly equaled Tony Stark's ingenious equipment. (You wouldn't catch any one of them dead saying this, though, for they all idolized the philanthropist billionaire, as they should.) Unfortunately, they didn't know what to do with Chan's pyrokinesis, nor with his terra-forming ability. 

          The one element he didn't have control over? Water.

          However, Jisung and Changbin made up for his lack of control in that area, and they made him feel complete, that he was as strong as he could be without being a pseudo-Avatar. Chan didn't know what he would do without the two boys.

          "Yep, they do," Jisung replied, reaching forward and adjusting one of Minho's straps that had become twisted as he hastily pulled it on. "Created by yours truly," he added, throwing in a wink. Chan rolled his eyes.

          "You can flirt later. We have to get going," he snapped, which only elicited more teasing from the other boys.

          "Ooh,  _someone's_ jealous~" Jeongin cooed but got nothing from a warning glance from Chan in return. "Sorry. I didn't say anything."

          "Yeah, sure you didn't. Let's get moving." Chan lifted a hand and made a shoving motion, generating a blast of high-pressure wind that cleared out the jagged edges of the glass that remained in the broken window that the grenade had been dropped in through. He couldn't keep his eyes from flickering to Andrea as he did, and he gave a satisfied smirk when he saw the awe glittering in her usually expressionless eyes.

          He stayed behind as each of the boys leaped out of the window, activating their jetpacks with a single thought. Different types of wings, similar to those of birds of prey, swan, and even geese sprouted from the packs, and they began to flap up and down, their basic function that Changbin had built in. The maneuvering and landing were all up to the wearer, who thankfully could command their pack through their thoughts. Chan's focus returned to Andrea, and he nearly scoffed despite everything; she was as pale as a ghost. He sighed, taking a step closer to her. "You're scared of heights?"

          "No. Scared of falling is all," she muttered, and then he  _actually_ laughed.

          "C'mon, the infamous Phantom, scared of a little height? Here," he held out his hand, unsure of what in the hell he was doing. Andrea Yamauchi was a criminal, someone who could have him at knifepoint in the blink of an eye if he wasn't still on his guard around her, and here he was, offering her his hand.

          He really needed to watch his back.

* * *

          Andrea glanced up at Chan's outstretched hand with a raised eyebrow, and as she did, she could have sworn that the face that haunted her memories superimposed his. The face of her ex-best friend, Vernon Choi.

           _He was the reason she had named herself the Phantom. She only wanted to rid herself of the memories, turn them into ghosts like she had with everything else. But they clung to her like cobwebs and she couldn't shake them off no matter what she did._

_Her hand clasped in his, her hair whipping around her face as they sat on the rooftop of the condominium. She had needed to get away from the orphanage, from the memories that were rotting her from the inside out._

_He had kissed her forehead, mouth full of promises of the life that they were going to build together._

_His word had shattered like the mirror she had broken upon hearing the news of his death._

"We haven't got all day," Chan's kind tone grew snappier, like how it had done with Jisung, and his order was punctuated with another flicker of lights. Andrea nodded and withdrew her hand swiftly. She couldn't let the past repeat itself, especially not with someone as dangerous as Chan.

          Not with someone who was associated with the people that had taken Vernon away from her and caused the disappearance of her family.

          "The wings are controlled by your brainwaves, just think about doing something and they'll do it," Chan informed as he stepped to the edge of the window. The lights gave another flicker before going out completely, and Chan leaped as they did, his wings immediately unfolding and carrying him aloft outside of the condominium. "Don't worry. I'll catch you if the wings malfunction."

            _Don't worry, Vernon had said. I'll catch you._

           As the wall behind her exploded into flying pieces of debris, Andrea shut her eyes, took a running start, and leaped.

* * *

          Chan hadn't expected the wings to malfunction, and from the look of utter shock and, even worse, terrible fear, on Andrea's face, she hadn't been expecting it either. His wings folded ever so slightly as he dove down, straining out his hand in a feeble attempt to catch her. As he dove, he cursed his luck, cursed his decision to have their stakeout on the very top floor of the condo, cursed the ones who had compromised it. And most of all, he cursed himself for ever believing that this strategy could succeed, could get past the first twenty-four hours of its initiation. Just as Chan braced himself for the crunch of bones collapsing onto hard concrete, their fingertips touched, and soon, their fingers were linked as Andrea struggled to reach up. Chan's wings unfolded with a great gust of air and soon he was carrying them up and up and up-

           Something stabbed into Chan's abdomen and he gasped, nearly doubling over in pain. Thankfully, the wings hadn't been punctured, and they were still supporting the weight of both him and Andrea. He thought she was screaming his name, but he couldn't be too sure of anything as darkness swam over his vision, and he succumbed to whatever poison had been on the blade that impaled him.

* * *

           If Andrea had thought Chan was drop dead gorgeous before his glorious wings had unfolded, she was wrong: he was absolutely  _stunning_ with the wings that resembled an angel's unfolded on his back.

          She had been so completely astounded by his almost unnatural beauty that she almost didn't notice when he flinched, mouth opening in a cry that was whisked away by the wind tunneling around them. It was only when his blood began to drip from a wound in his abdomen that she realized what had happened: he had been shot, which meant she was in danger. They all were. So, she did the only thing she could at the moment: struggled like her life depended on it. Andrea squeezed her eyes shut, forcing all of her willpower into the wings, even talking aloud to them as if they could somehow become sentient and understand human speech.

           "C'mon, you stupid fucking wings, just freaking  _work_ -" With a mighty flap, her jetpack finally stuttered to life and she let out a gasp of relief, taking a moment to peek at what kind of wings she had. She nearly gasped in wonder the second she laid her eyes on them: they weren't wings so much as they were camouflaged cloaks. Her "wings" were currently sky blue patched with white and Andrea was about to thank Chan for giving her this specific jetpack before she remembered her current circumstance. Andrea glanced downward and, having to squint to see their attack, realized how far up she was. Her head began to spin, her stomach churning, threatening to upchuck the remains of her breakfast. Chan had been right: heights were never her thing, but she had had no choice, it was either she had jumped or died where she stood.

           _Who knows?_ She thought as she folded her wings and dove downward again,  _I might just die anyway_.

 

 

 

 


	6. VI

_Give[this](https://youtu.be/R81F6xFp5tI) song a listen while you read!_

* * *

Chan had always liked the rain. It’s persistent rhythm would often soothe him to sleep, no matter where he was. He would often write to the melody it created as it showered down around him, and he had gotten some of his best pieces from the burst of inspiration a rain shower spurred.

But he almost rethought his preference of weather when he noticed the drizzle of raindrops falling around his lone figure.

Andrea was nowhere to be seen, and his wings had continued to carry him away from her and towards their next destination: a hideout built into the renowned Diamond Head hiking trail. So many people came and went from there that no one would bother to take notice of any of his informants slipping him information and supplies.

Despite the promise of safety that called to his logical side, and the sharp ache reminding him of the knife wound in his abdomen, the flash of irritation that flooded through him was almost strong enough to make him turn around, to find the girl that his entire plan depended on.

“Damn it all,” he hissed. Then, turning around in midair, he urged the wings to take him back to the compromised apartment building, and began to dive through the air.

* * *

 

It took quite a lot for Andrea to be scared of anything. Because she was a Robin Hood-esque criminal, she was often the one doing the scaring.

But the bomb flying at her face made her rethink her list of fears as she dove out of the way, just in time to avoid the flash bursting mere feet above her head, vowing never to complain about her farsightedness ever again.

“I see you’re not armed. Just surrender and I won’t hurt you!” The light enhanced that she had come into contact with all those years ago shouted from the windowsill, another bomb clutched in his hand.

Andrea cursed inwardly. He was right, she wasn’t armed. Why did she even do this? Did she think that he had the physical capacity to come after them? Was he even after them? Or were they just in his way?

She pulled to a stop in midair, and a smirk spread across his face as he cocked his arm back and flung the bomb towards her.

* * *

 

The flash that the first bomb had produced was bright enough that Chan could see the light emanating through the gathering dark clouds. A storm was coming, and soon it wouldn’t be safe to fly anywhere. He could only hope and pray that the others had made it safely to the hideout.

Chan broke through the barrier of clouds just in time to see Andrea pull to a stop, letting her wings carry her aloft, and just in time to see a bomb being flung towards her.

* * *

 

There was no pain, Andrea realized, which meant that she was somehow in heaven.

She had grown up in the Christian church, believed in Jesus and God at a young age, but after the disappearance of her parents, she didn’t think she could continue her faith.

She should be in hell, actually, but when she opened her eyes, a ball of water had appeared in front of her, holding the bomb aloft.

The timer on the bomb ticked down to zero, and she braced herself for the release of her ability that the explosion would cause, but then a gust of wind rushed up around her, and the sphere of water dissolved as the bomb was tossed high into the air.

By the orange-red explosion it left behind, Andrea knew it wasn’t a flash-bomb this time.

A cold hand grasped her wrist and she gasped, glancing to the side only to see Chan there, his face growing paler by the second. “Chan,” she hissed, returning her glare to the bomber, “What are you doing here?”

“Saving your ass, that’s what,” he muttered back, and Andrea could only watch in stunned silence as he lifted his other hand, palm up, and pulled a small tree right up and out of the ground. “When I say, run, you run like hell away from here. I’ll be right behind you.”

That’s what Vernon had said, all those years ago. Andrea wasn’t about to let someone else sacrifice themselves for her sake. She had had enough of that in her life.

“I’m not going to leave you, especially when you’re in no shape to fight. Stray Kids needs you, Chan.”

“C’mon down from there, lovebirds! I haven’t got all day!” The other enhanced yelled from the perch on the window, and Andrea almost wondered why he wasn’t attacking them, before remembering that Chan could easily smack him into next week with a tree if he tried to fling another bomb at them.

“We aren’t lovebirds.” When Chan spoke, despite his hushed tone, Andrea could have sworn that he was powerful enough to have stopped the rain. With that, he shoved his hand forward, and the tree flung towards the man. “Go!” Andrea didn’t think twice as she wiggled free of Chan’s grasp, only to clutch his hand as tightly as she could and launch them both into the sky.

* * *

Felix paced around his, Seungmin, and Jeongin’s compact, but cozy, room in their Diamond Head HQ. Both Chan and his target hadn’t arrived at the base yet, and even though no one had spoken about it yet, he knew they were all thinking it.

He knew walking around and around in circles wouldn’t help anyone, and Felix hated feeling helpless. But there was nothing he could do, and having super-speed, the frenetic energy he had stored up was beginning to take its toll. If Chan and Andrea didn’t come back soon...

The door burst open and Felix had wrapped his hand around his trusty knife and was in a fighting stance before you could say “anything”. His tensed muscles relaxed when he saw that it was just Woojin, but by the grim line of the older boy’s mouth, Felix knew something was amiss.

“They’re back,” he informed, and Felix raised an eyebrow, waiting for Woojin to continue. There was always a ‘but’ in these kinds of situations, “but Chan’s hurt.” A wave of something even more lethal than anger flooded through Felix’s chest, like his veins were made of brackish water, and he sped out of the room, leaving Woojin behind to catch up.

When Felix ran, he felt free. Free of the stress his job brought into his life, free of the mistakes he had made. There were no chains on him when he ran. No strings, no compromises.

It was just him and the wind.

* * *

 

Andrea gritted her teeth as they finally touched down in front of what was apparently the hidden door to Stray Kids’ headquarters, sweat dripping down her neck as she supported Chan’s near dead weight. “Why didn’t you leave me,” the elemental hissed, and her heart gave a lurch of pity.

“That’s a story for when you’re well enough to handle it,” she murmured in response, making sure to keep an eye out for any unsuspecting passerby. The last thing she needed was for anyone to see two teenagers clinging to each other like a couple, especially when one of them was severely injured and probably poisoned.

“I-I can handle it,” Chan stuttered, a shiver passing its way through his body, and Andrea sighed, glancing at the spot in the mountain where Chan had directed them to.

“Yeah, sure. Just tell me how to open this-“ The door flung open from the inside, catching her mid-sentence, and there was Hyunjin, eyes wide in what she noticed as unsullied fear. The boy stepped onto the mountain path and took Chan’s right arm, helping Andrea to guide him into the HQ.

Entering the space, she had expected to see all the boys of Stray Kids crowded around to see their leader, but only Seungmin was there, the handle of an unwieldy metal box grasped in his hand. His knuckles were white, and Andrea knew he was trying to hide his stress.

“Put him here,” He ordered, and Andrea and Hyunjin had no choice but to obey. As they laid Chan down on the L-shaped sofa, Seungmin clicked open the latch that held the box closed, and Andrea watched as it unfolded, giving Seungmin access to the medical equipment inside.

Felix literally sped into the room, the blur fading behind him as he knelt down next to the medic. “What kind of wound is it?” The Aussie asked.

“A stab wound. The enhanced was able to throw some kind of projectile far and accurately enough to impale him, and I’m pretty sure there was poison on the blade,” Andrea informed, and he cursed, grabbing two threadbare pillows and placing one under Chan’s head and another under his upper chest, leaving the area of the wound slightly lower than his heart.

“I’d suggest you leave before things get messy,” Seungmin said, but Andrea barely registered any of his words as she moved to take a seat at the wooden table near the door.

“I’m used to messy.”


	7. VII

Listen to [this](https://youtu.be/zwDRrZ1KZts) song while you read! (Yes, I know it doesn’t really match the mood ??  But I gotta promote my faves.)

* * *

 

Angela watched as Seungmin cut a strip of fabric off of Chan’s shirt and used the rip to tear off the entire thing. “You don’t want to irritate the wound,” Felix explained, but Angela was only half-focused, her eyes glued to Chan’s toned abdomen and strong arms. How did the guy have time to lead a task force AND work out?

“Yeah, we know. He’s beaten all of us plenty of times in combat,” Seungmin replied to Angela’s silent commentary, and she raised an eyebrow. “Ironically, as the medic of the group, I don’t have any healing powers. But I can read minds, which kind of helps, I guess?” He held out a hand as he spoke, and a fully filled syringe materialized in his palm.

Felix grinned, nodding towards the syringe. Andrea noticed the same blur that appeared when he ran into the room, but this time it was slowly fading from around his hands. “Super speed is great. Makes it really easy to help Seungmin with patching people up. And cooking.”

“Cooking? Seriously?” Angela asked, “So, let me guess, I’m good for watering your plants when you’re away on a two week vacation to Spain.”

“Sure. I’ll take you up on that the next time I’m in the field,” Seungmin jumped in once more, and Angela rolled her eyes as he injected some sort of clear liquid right above the gruesome cut that the poisoned blade had slashed into Chan’s stomach.

His pale skin was pockmarked with bruises and old scars, and for a moment, Angela wondered what it would be like to touch them.

“I would suggest keeping your hands to yourself,” Seungmin muttered, “Like I said earlier, Chan’s crazy strong, even without his elemental powers.”

Felix started to snicker, and Angela stood, trying desperately to keep the blush in her cheeks from spreading to her neck.

“Fine. I’ll just...” Felix laughed when harder when she looked around, unsure of what she could do to keep her mind off of Chan and his glorious-

Seungmin interrupted her swiftly downward spiraling train of thought with a few tense words in Korean, and Felix chuckled.

He stood and stepped over to the small sink in the corner of the room, washing his hands to get the blood off. Andrea flinched as she saw the water run down the drain in a light shade of pink. “Let’s go, newbie. Apparently your thoughts are too-“

“Felix,” Seungmin warned, and the Aussie sighed.

Andrea’s blush shoved past its dam and flooded its way onto her neck. “Felix?” she asked as they walked down the winding hallways, past many other doors that led who knew where, “Please promise me that Chan will hear nothing of what just happened.”

Felix nodded, lips twisting into a grim line. “Promise. And Seungmin will have to teach you how to barricade your mind for when we encounter other telepathic enhanced.”

“Sounds fun,” Andrea muttered. Before she could let her other questions spill out, Felix stopped in front of a simple steel door and pulled out a key.

“This is your room. And, uh, Andrea?” She glanced up at the freckled boy, “Sorry. This is Chan’s room, too.”

——

The instant that Chan’s eyes fluttered open, he shot up, before immediately regretting his actions as a burst of pain shot through his abdomen.

“Whoa there,” a female voice said, and he jumped, his head snapping over to the source: Andrea. As soon as he saw her, his chest relaxed and he let out a breath of relief. “Scaredy-cat.” She stood, coming to stand next to his bed, but not close enough to make it awkward. Chan realized that her stance was like her: close, but not enough to touch. She cared, but not enough to let people in.

His job had just gotten more difficult.

Andrea knelt, reaching out and carefully brushing her fingers against his bandage. Usually, he wouldn’t mind the physical contact, but now, all his defenses were thrown up like castle walls. Chan was letting the Phantom touch him, the girl who was feared by nearly the entire state.

But then, he realized, the people that weren’t scared of her were stronger. They were also the reason he needed her on the team.

“What are you doing?” he asked, letting a hint of a threat seep into his tone. “I could easily have you thrown out-“

“You volunteered to have me share your room, at least according to Woojin, smart-ass,” Andrea muttered, and a flash of irritation swept through Chan, heating his skin ever so slightly, a side effect of his pyrokinesis. “You’re warm. Do you have a fever? I could-“ She broke off and cursed, and Chan was about to ask why before he realized the ache of the wound and the blood that was beginning to show on the pristine white bandage. “Look, you see what you did? Now I have to baby you.” Andrea chastised, and Chan really did feel irritated.

“I’m fine. Leave me alone.” At his words, the girl recoiled, and he instantly wanted to take them back. Chan sighed deeply and moved himself slightly so that he leaned against the headboard of his bed. “You know that story you were gonna tell me? I think I can handle it.”

Andrea stood, and did nothing but scoff. “Don’t forget, I still have to tell you about why I never wanted to be here in the first place.” Chan desperately tried to quell his pyrokinetic abilities so as not to burn down his bed, and he was able to tamp them down to a mere raising of the room temperature. “Jesus, Chan. Did you do that?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as sweat beaded on her forehead.

Chan wondered what it would be like if he pinned her to his mattress and kissed each of those droplets away, tasted the salt and- dammit.

He was losing control of his influence over fire, which meant his mind was about to go rampant if she didn’t shut up very soon-

“Oh my god, dude, you’re turning this room into a fucking sauna,” Andrea complained and before Chan could retort, she lifted her gray sweatshirt above her head, leaving herself in a sports bra and her jeans.

The temperature raised by approximately another four and a half degrees. “Oh, sorry that I forgot the warning. I’m kinda...”

“Straightforward? Yeah,” Chan muttered as he debated on whether to yell at her some more or kiss her before realizing that either of those options would damn his plan to hell.

“You know what? If I piss you off that much, I’ll leave you alone.” Andrea promptly turned on her heel and walked towards the door.

“The second any of the boys gets their eyes on you-“

“Jealous, are we?” She interrupted, shooting a glance over her shoulder, “I’ll deal with my problems, you deal with yours.”

Chan hadn’t been this irritated since the last time Stray Kids had gotten into an argument during a mission that could have easily been compromised.

He had needed to spend a lot of alone time after that.

“Trust me, I’m doing just fine. Don’t have a problem in-“ Minho flung the door open before Chan could finish his sentence, and the other boy immediately cringed from the heat, before he noticed Andrea’s nearly half-naked form.

“Um... I should probably leave, but there’s been a power outage in Waikiki.” Andrea shoved past Minho and out of the room, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Chan lay back and let out a groan, feeling the intense need to hit something.

“How many casualties?”

“None yet, but enhanced are on a wire with their relationships with the government as it is.”

“After the Maximoffs,” Chan inferred, and his stomach whirled as the memories of the telekinetic enhanced resurfaced. That fight had been brutal enough to earn him the scar that ran along his thigh.

“Right. So we need to stop this idiot before he makes things even worse for us and S.H.I.E.L.D. Oh, and Chan?” For whatever odd reason, the curly-haired boy knew what his best friend was going to say, yet he let him continue anyway. “I don’t think sleeping with her will convince her to join us.”

“I wasn’t-“

“Yeah, just jokes,” Minho replied, smirking playfully, “Guess I’ll tell the boys we leave in half an hour instead of ten minutes.” The sneaky boy leaned over and patted Chan’s shoulder, “The fact that I’m sweating buckets just from standing tells me that you’ll need a while.”

Chan threw his head back and laughed. It felt good to laugh after the immense load of stress that had been placed on his shoulders. “Get out, mate.”


	8. VIII

           Andrea was sure that she was losing brain cells. 

          “We don’t have the element of surprise!” Minho countermanded one of Changbin’s ideas.

          “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we should just make a big show while we waltz over there and announce our presence!” The younger boy argued, and the room burst into interruptions for what felt like the hundredth time in the ten minutes they had been sitting in the entrance room.

          Andrea wished Chan was here instead of holed up in his room. Maybe he had burned to ash, she speculated, grimacing at the morbid thought. But it had been sweltering in there, and she couldn’t take the attitude she was getting from him any longer. Woojin shot her an apologetic glance and she shrugged, leaning against the door as nonchalantly as she could muster without a shirt on.

          Just as Andrea was sure she would explode due to her quickly rising temper, Chan appeared in the hallway, a plain black top in his hands, his chest out in full view.

          Maybe Andrea wouldn’t explode out of anger, but maybe-

          “Oh my god, Andrea,” Seungmin huffed from where he stood next to her, and she glared at him.

          “I can’t help it if he’s hot!”

          “Everyone, shut up,” Chan ordered, and the room instantly hushed. “We may not have the element of surprise-“

          “See?” Minho muttered, eliciting a scoff from Changbin.

          “But that doesn’t mean we’re going to make a big fuss when we arrive. The authorities have already barricaded the area where the blackout is. All we have to do is deal with the criminal.”

          “We?” Woojin asked, raising an eyebrow at Chan. “Are you fit to fight?” Andrea raised an eyebrow. Talk about the elephant in the room.

          “Of course. We’ve all battled with worse,” Chan paused, and Andrea met his quick glance with a cool gaze. “Except for our newbie.” After pulling on his black shirt, Chan tossed Andrea her own sweatshirt. “Suit up. We head out in ten.”

* * *

           Stray Kids did not own any blue clothing, Andrea realized as she rummaged through the closet of combat suits in the training room. There were black gloves, red glasses, hell, even camoflauge jackets with some sort of silky smooth fabric, but no blue. “If I’m gonna be a waterbender, I gotta have something blue,” she muttered, and glanced to the side when she heard a footstep scuff the dirty floor.

          “Here, um. I found this,” Jeongin began, holding out a tight navy blue suit along with black gloves. “The gloves will help you to control your powers. The suit, well, is just a suit.”

          Andrea smiled gratefully. At least one person had her back here. “Thanks, Jeongin. If I may, how old are you?”

          Jeongin’s eyes widened, as if he was surprised she had decided to continue the conversation, and something of a motherly instinct coursed through Andrea. The dude was cute, but not in the same way Chan or Woojin was. Jeongin gave Andrea a “must protect” image-

          “I’m eighteen. You?”

          “Same! Guess we’ll be putting up with their bullshit together.” Jeongin grinned, displaying his braces, and Andrea couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, now I gotta change so...” she made a twirling motion with her finger and she caught a glimpse of his cheeks flaming red before he turned around, giving her her privacy. After living in a co-ed orphanage for most of her life, Andrea was used to having to change around boys, so she slipped out of her sweatshirt and jeans quickly, but without the anxiety of being looked at, and wiggles into the suit. “Shit, I can hardly breathe in this thing.”

          “Hmm...” Jeongin faced her again and chuckled. “Maybe if you weren’t holding your breath...”

          “Oh I am _not-“_ once the words left her mouth, Andrea realized that the suit had conformed to her curves. “Damn. That’s some sick tech.”

          “Yeah,” Jeongin began as he lowered what seemed to be a bulletproof vest over his head so it covered his chest. “Changbin developed it. He, Jisung, and Chan are the ones who deal with the technology around here. The rest of us are pretty much noobs.”

          Noobs. That was one word Andrea hadn’t heard for a while. “So you guys developed those winged jet packs, then these awesome suits, what next?” 

          “Compliments are for later. Let’s go,” Minho ordered and Jeongin nodded briskly, rummaging into his pocket as he jogged out of the room. Andrea followed him and barely caught the thing he had thrown at her. “Those are my bundles,” Minho explained, a hint of pride in his tone. Andrea raised an eyebrow, examining the earpiece and handgun that were held together by some sort of holster. “Keep that on you at all times. It’s how we communicate.”

          “It’s also how we take down the big baddies,” Chan explained, jogging up to the trio, who all rolled their eyes. 

          Andrea wondered how they put up with him every day.

* * *

 

          When they touched down into Waikiki, it had already been abandoned, and Andrea shivered. Chan handed her a black mask and raised an eyebrow at her.

          “You okay?” 

          “Yeah. Just realized how I’m never going to be annoyed by tourists ever again,” she muttered, earning a smile from the blonde haired boy. After returning his smile with her own smirk, she slipped the black mask over her nose and mouth, subsequently placing the earpiece in her ear as well. 

          “Chan here. Everyone copy?” Andrea heard the leader murmur, and the other boys nodded, eliciting replies of “copy”. “Good. Our target is in this mall,” he motioned towards the entrance of the  International Market Place, “and he brought his buddies along. Keep an eye out for each other, yeah? If someone gets caught, get them out. If someone gets hypnotized, knock ‘em upside the head. Newbie.” 

          Andrea was tugged out of her swiftly increasing anxiety by Chan’s sharp address. “Stay alert. Don’t die. Copy?”

          “Really feeling the love, Chan. But yes, copy.” Jeongin snickered, and Andrea grinned, giving him a nod of acknowledgement. At least one person here appreciated her humor. 

          “Good. Then let’s head out.”

* * *

          Andrea didn’t believe in ghosts, but with how eerie the completely empty mall was, she was sure that one would sneak up on her and eat her soul. Chan has assigned her to stay on the second floor and patrol around the main tree that comprised the central area of the plaza, and for good reason: the tree was centered on a platform surrounded by bridges that lead over artificial ponds. 

          She reasoned that there would be a source, or sources, nearby from which the water came, and as soon as she entered the courtyard, Andrea inhaled deeply and dug into the depths of her concentration. This was like any other mission. As long as she focused on the task at hand, the rest would come easily. 

          But she was wrong now, and Andrea hated being wrong. Despite her intense focus, all she could rouse were a few ripples in the surface of the ponds and rivers below her. Nothing major, let alone anything that could potentially save her from-

          The sound of a gun being loaded snapped her out of her irritation, and Andrea had her own pistol out, safety off, and aimed at the man behind her before he could make another move.

          He wasn’t the same man as before, but she had to admit, for a killer, he was hot. Defined cheekbones, sensual eyes, and a wicked smirk. “Don’t move. My team will be on you before you can even pull that trigger.” 

          The man scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Doubt it. Got my own team here as well, including Yunho. You know, the guy your leader threw a tree at.” 

          Andrea rolled her eyes inwardly, still desperately attempting to gain control over the water below her, even while continuing to aim the gun steadily between this new opponent’s eyes. Years of living with other untrustworthy teens, as well as self-righteous, possession-driven adults had taught her not only how to multitask, but also the importance of it, and now, she was incredibly glad for the skill. 

          Behind her, a swirl of water drifted into the air, wobbled, and grew like a vine up into the air towards her, and Andrea bit her lip to keep in a cry of relief.

          “What’s the matter, doll? Like what you see?” The man taunted, stepping forward until the barrel of his gun was flush against her forehead, “or maybe you’re worried about Chan-“ 

          A blur that Andrea recognized as Felix burst around the corner, but the man noticed it as well, and, moving with his own shocking speed, spun and fired his gun. Andrea’s slammed her eyes shut and thrust her hands forward, sending the long, thin twister of water towards Felix, and letting it melt into a puddle beneath his feet. Felix slid to a carefully balanced stop as the store window broke into glittery shards. The glass shattered down, but the man was unfazed, even as Felix raised his dagger. 

          “It’s two against one, buddy. What do you say we just put down our weapons and-“ 

          “Now, Mingi.” 

          With that, Felix dropped to the floor, spasms wracking his limbs, and Andrea barely had time to gasp before her own vision went black.

* * *

 

          “Wakey wakey.” Andrea’s eyes cracked open, slowly adjusting to the dim light in what appeared to be... someone’s kitchen? The space was cozy, occupied only be a countertop space, a few sparse shelves, and a refrigerator. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she’d been brought to the guy’s college dorm. “Glad you’re with me, doll.” Despite her circumstances, a blush tickled at Andrea’s  neck, and the man chuckled, pulling up a seat in front of her and sitting with his deliciously thick thighs spread-eagled around the back of it.

           Andrea decided that she would go for his upper body if she managed to get out of her restraints. 

          “Who was Mingi, and where’s Felix?” She questioned, tamping down the anger in her voice, unwilling to give this man anymore satisfaction than she already had. When he smirked, sending a jolt of sparks down her spine, Andrea realized that she had already failed at that objective. 

          “Mingi ran into some trouble with your sniper. He’s back at HQ healing up. And Felix is okay.” 

          Andrea smirked lazily, the thought of Changbin successfully bringing down the man that had hurt Felix giving her a sense of vicarious satisfaction. But something was still not quite right.

          “Felix is okay? Sorry, but I’m gonna call bs.” The man mirrored her own expression as he ran a hand through his silvery hair. 

          “You’re only going to eat your words, love. I can assure you he’s okay and safely back with your members.” Andrea could only wish that trust was as easy as that, but things were never that easy in the line of work she was in. So, she began to look for the telltale signs of scuffle as discreetly as she could, not daring to look away from her captor while his eyes were locked on her own.

          “What’s your name?” 

          “Wooyoung. Jung Wooyoung. You’re Andrea Yamauchi, the Phantom. Right?” 

           “Okay, what is up with people and never letting me introduce myself?” Andrea joked, and Wooyoung laughed, running a hand through his hair once more. A bad habit, Andrea deciphered. Not that she was complaining, it was kinda hot. She took his moment of pause and slowly gazed around the kitchenette. The dishes were all intact, the knives all safely in their  block. The window behind him was boarded up, most likely still there from the storm. 

          Felix really wasn’t there.

          “So, from what I understand, you’re a water elemental,” Wooyoung inferred, bringing his chair ever so closer to Andrea’s. “You’re chill. A go-with-the-flow type of girl. My perfect match.” His voice grew quieter, hazel eyes alight. He leaned back, tongue peeking out to lick over his lips teasingly.

          If he was even a tiny bit more sexy, Andrea would not be able to control herself. But maybe that’s exactly what she needed to do. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s used a strategy like the one she had in mind, though.

          She leaned forward until their noses were only centimeters apart. “Untie me and I’ll show you exactly how well we could work together, Jung.” He was silent for a held-out moment, and Andrea wondered if he was considering her offer. “But if not,” she added, careful to keep her tone steady, “that’s okay. I’m sure you’re getting all the girls or boys you want.”

          “Nice try,” Wooyoung murmured into her ear and Andrea huffed inwardly, sitting back into her chair and attempting to look as comfortable as she could with plastic zip ties around her wrists, chafing against her skin. “As tempting as the offer is, I don’t have time for it. Hongjoong expects me back at HQ soon. I-“

          Andrea tilted her head, and Wooyoung paused. There was another noise underneath the rumbling of cars somewhere below the window and the chirp of the birds resting on the power lines. 

          The tick of a bomb. 

          Wooyoung leaped to his feet, pulled Andrea up and dragged her into the next room, a bedroom even tinier than the kitchen with only a single twin bed, a set of drawers, and a small table beside the bed. A blur appeared around Wooyoung and Andrea’s head whirled as she attempted to follow his movements while he knocked the mattress off of the frame and sheltered behind it. The bomb went off with a blast of heat and Andrea flinched as the door to his apartment hit the wall.

          “Andrea!” It was Jeongin.

          “Jeon-“ Wooyoung’s hand clasped over her mouth, and she shot a deadly glare at him as he pressed his lips to her ear.

          “One more word and I won’t hesitate to kill them.”

          Them. So Chan had sent a squad, and Andrea hadn’t been able to pick up on that. But Wooyoung had in a matter of twenty seconds. 

          He was a force to be reckoned with. 

          The wooden floorboards creaked as Jeongin wandered further into the apartment, but Wooyoung remained completely still. Andrea wasn’t too sure of what powers the youngest member of Stray Kids had, or if he had any at all, but she just hoped he could get away without getting hurt.

          “Jung Wooyoung!” That was Felix, and damn was his voice absolutely terrifying when used in a threat. “We know you have Andrea. Give her back or face the consequences.” Wooyoung sighed, peered over the mattress, and glanced back to Andrea, who was busy glancing around looking for a source of water. 

          “Guess I have no choice.” Andrea stopped her searching, eyes wide. 

          “You gotta be fucking kidding me. You’re just going to give up-“

          “Look, kid, I can’t handle them. Not on my own. I’m not stupid.” Kid. The dude couldn’t be three years older than her, judging by his looks.

           “Oh shut the fuck up with that-“ Wooyoung dug into his back pocket and pulled out a simple necklace. Placing it into Andrea’s hands, he gave her a quick nod. 

          “Your brother wanted you to have it.” With that, he was gone in a blur.


End file.
